A/N: I must apologize for being remiss. Obviously there was a prolonged wait for me to update this chapter, and for that I am sorry.
My many thanks to VacantSkies for adding his own brand of magic to this story again I'm pimping his website: www.fanfiction.net/~vacantskies
Keep the reviews coming, I'd really love to know what you all think about this chapter!
Chapter 7
"Immoral! Immoral, I say! …Do they listen to me? Nooo. This is not healthy at all… Decorum should always be maintained," Madam Pomfrey muttered under her breath as she bustled around the room, her eyes reverting every so often at the two forms in the bed chamber at the north tower of the Ravenclaw castle. Her prince for the first time in a week since his heroic act was in a deep peaceful slumber, and the princess he rescued was half sprawled on his bed and half sitting on the bedside cushioned chair sleeping from sheer exhaustion at the continuous vigil she kept. Both the prince and princess' fingers were intertwined. Poppy shook her head and kept muttering to herself while she continued puttering around the room. Her eyes kept straying over the couple in the room, both oblivious to their surrounding.
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At the infirmary of Gryffindor a few moments after the troll attack in Ravenclaw…
Madam Pomfrey, the head healer in the kingdom of the lion, was flooed by Duke Sirius of the House of Black. Seeing his head pop out from her fireplace at the infirmary, she immediately jumped up and started gathering her potions, knowing that it would be a messy scene since it was this Marauder who flooed her.
"Madam Pomfrey, our Majesties King James and Queen Lily urgently request your services at the Kingdom of Ravenclaw," the head of the duke sputtered.
"Is it his highness Prince Harry?" the healer asked with bated breath.
The head of the Duke gave her a lopsided smirk, "Madam, who else would it be?"
"What is it now?" she asked with an accompanying sigh. Technically, the healer was relieved that the prince was not in dire straits, or it would have been his parents who would have flooed. Her movements in gathering the potions needed were not as pressing as when the duke's head first appeared.
"He came crashing down to earth, so to speak…" Duke Sirius replied, then another head came into view. It was her king. Madam Pomfrey instinctively curtsied when she saw the king with a slightly worried look on his face say, "Poppy, just bring the usual…I'm sure Harry broke no more than the regular number of bones-again. Then floo immediately here. I have temporarily connected the fireplace of the infirmary to Harry's bed chamber."
"Your Majesty, do I need to bring any other healers?" Though Poppy knew she'd receive a negative answer to that, they were after all at Ravenclaw, the seat of wisdom and healing. She was surprised that she was even asked to go there to care for Harry, since the healers of Ravenclaw were more than adequate to fix a few broken bones in their skills.
"Poppy, Sir Neville Longbottom and Baron Seamus Finnigan will be joining you. Lord Weasley requests their company since he will be staying behind to wait till Harry recovers. But no need for any other healers, we all know that they are above adequate here. Harry just trusts you, I'm sure that he would appreciate your presence when he wakes up," King James stated.
Madam Pomfrey felt her chest puff up with pride at the subtle compliment that her king just gave her. She was the only healer that the King and Queen of Gryffindor trusted to fix up their son since the day he was born. Poppy was the head healer after all, given the position upon the passing of King James' father and his ascension to the throne of Godric. Though she was officially supposed to provide supervision and training to other citizens of Gryffindor who were recognized to have the innate power of healing, she became Prince Harry's personal healer and she took that duty to heart and did it with pride.
"Oh Poppy, before I forget please inform Dobby that Prince Harry will be having an extended stay here at the Kingdom of Ravenclaw," her king added.
"Yes, your Majesty, right away." With that, the healer curtsied again as she saw the head of her king nod in acknowledgment and the head of the duke wiggling his eyebrows at her in a mock salute. Then they disappeared with a hiss of ember.
Madam Pomfrey was about to summon an owl for Harry's friends when two young gentlemen of the court of Gryffindor and close mates to her prince came stampeding into her infirmary. Clucking her tongue loudly and ready to reprimand them for such action, she saw they were out of breath from the both the sprint and dragging their trunks behind them.
"Lord Ronald Weasley just flooed us," Neville explained in a breathless voice, bowing slightly.
"Och…" was the only reply Seamus was capable of giving.
Still giving them a disapproving look at their state, "Very well then, Sir Longbottom and Baron Finnigan, you saved me the trouble of having to owl you…Do I need to remind you gentlemen that you both are wizards and could have shrunken your trunks?" Rolling her eyes at the bewildered expressions of the two, she then said in a loud voice, "DOBBY?"
A pop was heard as a free house elf wearing two shirts and mismatching socks appeared before them. Dobby's clan was one among those house elves who was able to leave the Kingdom of Slytherin a long time ago to escape the treacherous treatment of his kind by the citizens of that kingdom. Though all house elves were granted freedom in the other three kingdoms, they still served in their respected kingdoms not due to slavery but because the house elves simply wanted to, Dobby was granted the honor of tending to Prince Harry.
Bowing slightly, Dobby started, "Prince Harry James' Madam Healer asked for Dobby?"
"Yes Dobby, our highness Prince Harry will be prolonging his stay at the Kingdom of Ravenclaw."
"Dobby asks Madam Healer as to why?" abruptly Dobby's eyes widened, then started to lament "OH! It is not Dobby's position to inquire about Prince Harry James' duration of stay! Madam Healer must forgive Dobby for inquiring!" Then as the house elf said the last line, he took a big white bottle labeled `Skele-Gro' from the valise of the healer and started to pound it on his head as punishment.
"DOBBY!" three voices shouted.
Neville, being the closest to the house elf, yanked on the two shirts the elf had on, while Seamus pulled the bottle the other way, separating the makeshift club from the house elf.
"You do no wrong being inquisitive, Dobby. There has been an accident - nothing to be alarmed about since Prince Harry usually finds himself in accidents at least twice every other day," Poppy said with a warm smile. "You may proceed to his side, Dobby, if you wish. King James asked that I inform you so."
"Dobby thanks Madam Healer!" with eyes shining, he smiled at the trio before him and with a snap of his fingers, he disappeared.
The healer and two men looked at each other. The gentlemen brought out their wands and after tapping their trunks which shrunk to a size big enough for their pocket, they approached the fireplace. Madam Pomfrey took some floo powder from a pot on its mantle. Going in the immense fireplace she turned and faced the two boys. Extending her hand she shouted in a loud, clear voice, "Castle of Ravenclaw, north tower bed chamber!" Neville and Seamus closed their eyes as green flames engulfed the healer then she was gone.
Neville looked at Seamus, "Well, go on now! Can't keep that prat of a red head waiting, I have a game of wizard's chess waiting for me!"
Entering the hearth, Seamus smiled at his friend, "In other words, you can't wait to get your arse kicked again by Weasley!" Then, uttering his destination, he too disappeared in green flames.
Neville, copying the actions of the two before him by yelling his destination thought, "I'll show him whose arse I'm going to kick!"
Looking on the bed at the form of a motionless figure, four people were discussing an imperative issue concerning the prince on the bed.
"There's something wrong, Cedric!" the princess murmured as she bit her lower lip.
"Nonsense, a mere bump on the head," Cedric replied.
"But he's too pale!" Hermione whined, her eyes fixed on the prince of Gryffindor.
"He's been that way since the day he was born, your highness," Lord Ron Weasley said jokingly, then gulped loudly and averted his eyes as the Crown Princess of Ravenclaw sharply turned her head in his direction, her eyes glowing with indignation.
"Princess, let the healers do their duty. Ravenclaw is the center of healing; they are more than capable of treating the Prince of Gryffindor. King James even flooed Prince Harry's own healer, the venerated Madam Pomfrey. Would you want me to floo father to the prince's side?" Lady Cho Chang asked, totally taken back at how rattled her close friend the princess was, who was usually in control even under extreme conditions. Cho tightened her hand that held her fiancé's. They both looked at each other with concern more for the princess than the injured prince.
"No… no need to floo in Healer Chang, but thank you for offering, Cho. How is Luna by the way?" Hermione said, her voice thick with feeling, dumbfounded by her own actions.
"Your highness, we thought…well…uh…we had…" Ron started, looking at Cedric and Cho for support, he was slightly frightened by the princess' reaction about what he was about to admit, "to keep her away …keep her away…uh…keepherawayfromyou." Ron finishing in a rush then instinctively recoiled from the princess in preparation for a lashing out.
Princess Hermione looked at the best friend of the prince. Actually she had to look up at him due to his height. If she wasn't so worried about Prince Harry, she would have probably laughed at the reaction of Lord Weasley. But she just gave him a small smile in a gesture of reassurance, "Thank you very much for taking care of Lady Lovegood, Lord Weasley. I'm sure she appreciated it too." Turning to look at the injured prince, she withdrew herself from the group.
Cho, turning to the two gentlemen with a look of anxiety in her eyes, "You do know that she'll stay with Prince Harry till he wakes up, don't you?"
"Oh definitely," Cedric answered his fiancée. "I guess it's up to us to make sure that she eats properly till her vigil is over…but knowing Harry's resilience, tomorrow afternoon he'll be up and about," the prince from Hufflepuff sighed.
"No worries, Madam Pomfrey will kick her out of Harry's bed chamber when she arrives. That healer even ejects both the king and queen from the infirmary at Gryffindor-and they're his parents!" Ron stated, hearing a loud growl coming from his stomach he realized none of them had eaten since breakfast. "May I suggest, Prince Cedric and Lady Cho, that we adjourn to the Great Hall for a delayed lunch?"
"Great idea, Lord Weasley," Cedric answered, tugging his fiancée towards the door that Ron was holding open.
As they were closing the door, they heard a shriek from the princess, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S DYING?"
At the Great Hall there was an assembly of red headed individuals crowding over a young man with platinum blond hair who was being treated by healers…
"I am eternally grateful to you, Master Malfoy, for saving my daughter, Lady Ginevra," the patriarch of the House of Weasley, who happened to be the Minister of Magic for the Kingdom of Gryffindor said.
He looked at the young man whose torso was being bandaged by a healer, while another was shoving a vial of potion into the young man's mouth. Upon his entry into the Great Hall, Lord Arthur Weasley was prepared to hug the gentleman from Slytherin, but changed his mind seeing the injuries he had sustained. On behalf of his daughter, he extended his hand to the young man instead.
"The honor is all mine," Draco spat, trying to get rid of the bitter aftertaste of the potion he just ingested, his face now red at the attention he was getting. Apart from Ron, who, after making sure Ginny was fine, escorted the blond companion of the princess back to the infirmary during the attack. The rest of Lady Ginny's brothers never left her side and Ginny for her part, did not leave his side.
Draco was sitting shirtless and very conscious of the petite lady beside him holding his hand as the healer wound the bandage around him binding his chest; he tried to avoid the eyes of her brothers that he felt were examining him with great interest. Draco knew that his father was at the south tower, probably brooding in fury at how the plan had fallen flat. Draco made an excuse that he would not be able to walk all the way to his bed chambers at the south tower nor to the infirmary, therefore their little group had ended up here in the Great Hall.
He gave a half grin as he lowered his head thinking, "There's going to be hell to pay upon our return tomorrow…" Draco's expression darkened as he thought of his mother stuck in the dungeon at Slytherin. "Will she be spared?" Tears started to form in his eyes as he thought of the woman taking his place in that dungeon; then he felt a soft hand tighten its grip in his hand. Looking up, he saw the petite lady whom he rescued looking at him with a shine in her eyes from unshed tears. "There's no turning back now…I may not be able to change my past-but I certainly will change my future for her."
Ginny saw the pain in Draco's eyes and knew that it had nothing to do with his physical injuries. Then the pain lifted when his gray eyes met hers as only tenderness remained, although his face remained expressionless. She had no idea how or why but she was drawn to this man who hailed from a kingdom she was taught to be cautious of. Ginny looked up at her father, who wore a wary expression on his face, not knowing how to react to this citizen from Slytherin who had saved her. Her brothers were another story - they were looking at Draco with open hostility. They were not aware that she had danced last night with her rescuer. Charlie had even apologized to her and felt sorry for her since she was not able to have one dance that night, as he'd escorted her back to their guest suite.
"I wonder what they would think about it if I told them about it now…" she wondered, covering her mouth to hide the small grin that emerged on her lips as visions of the most comical expressions of her brothers came into mind. Then all heads in the room turned toward the entrance as a loud wail originated from there. Everyone saw a middle aged woman with equally red hair as her husband and children come crashing through, dragging her blond daughter-in-law Viscountess Fleur, who in turn was dragging their other brother Sir Percy who never joined them in their frivolous activities.
Draco and Ginny's eyes widened as Lady Molly, matriarch of the House of Weasley approached. Ginny let go of Draco's hand immediately and Draco wanted to take cover.
"GINEVRA MOLLY WEASLEY, HOW DARE YOU GO AND PUT YOURSELF IN DANGER BATTLING A TROLL!" Lady Molly shrieked as every one in the Great Hall trembled, she continued wagging about her finger at the supposed offenders, "AND THE LOT OF YOU! WHY DID YOU NOT PREVENT YOUR SISTER FROM FOLLOWING YOU?! YOU ARE HER BROTHERS! HER OLDER BROTHERS! YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR HER SAFETY AND YOU LET HER GET INTO A PREDICAMENT THAT WOULD HAVE ENDED HER LIFE IF…IF…"
Lady Molly's eyes suddenly watered as she took in the young man who was growing paler than the white bandage wrapped around his torso beside her only daughter-her youngest child, "OH! THANK YOU MASTER MALFOY! THANK YOU FOR SAVING MY LITTLE GINEVRA!" she then jumped the injured young man and pulled him up into her arms, giving him a bone crushing embrace while bawling all the while.
Those who witnessed her actions winced and actually felt sorry for the Slytherin citizen as they knew that he would have sustained more injury from Lady Molly than that from any troll. The healers, who had packed up their medical valises, sighed and then started to unpack their bandages and potions again, knowing that Master Draco would most likely have more broken ribs by now.
"Mother! Mum…MUM! Let Master Draco breathe!" Ginny was pulling at her mother as she witnessed Draco's eyes bulge wide and his lips turn slightly blue. Then she turned to her brothers who thought the scene was ridiculously amusing. "A LITTLE HELP HERE!" she shouted, making her twin brothers hook an arm under each of their mother's arms and pull with all their might. Draco then collapsed to the floor of the Great Hall at the sudden loss of support, trying to breathe deeply despite the pain of the new broken ribs rubbing against his lungs. Ginny crouched beside him, laying a small hand on his shoulder, a look of concern and panic tainting her hazel eyes.
"I'll…be…fine…" Draco trying to assure her while heaving painfully between the words. "What in Merlin's name do they feed the women in Gryffindor?!" thought Draco, feeling embarrassed that a woman-a middle aged woman - had almost been the death of him. "Must be the red hair…" Draco rationalized, smirking as the healers helped him back on the chair to add more bandages and stuff more potions into him.
"Master Draco, please be assured that we will be in your debt for your actions today. I would hope that you can visit us in the Kingdom of Gryffindor. Being that I am the Minister in that kingdom, I have discussed what happened this afternoon with my king, which he agreed should be the next proper step. Therefore let me inform you, Master Draco of the House of Malfoy, heir of the Steward of Slytherin, we award you the Order of Merlin, third class for your heroic and unselfish act of willingness to sacrifice your life for the sake of a Gryffindor citizen." Arthur informed the young man, whose jaw almost reached the floor at the announcement.
Every one was stunned silent, even Lady Molly. They were flabbergasted! Never had a Slytherin citizen been cited for an Order of Merlin, especially from the Kingdom of Gryffindor! It was unheard of-and yet here they were, hearing and seeing it happen! Viscount William was the first to come out of his daze. He went over to Draco, who still had a look of astonishment frozen on his face, and shook his hand.
"Well done, Master Draco! Well done!" Then he started to clap, he was joined by his wife, Viscountess Fleur, then Charlie, Percy, their father--who was trying his best to prevent his wife from giving Draco another life threatening hug - and lastly and very reluctantly the twins. Even the healers were applauding and hooting at the announcement.
Ginny could not help but look with pride to the young man whose eyes warmed only for her. All she could utter was, "Congratulations, Master Draco."
Feeling a wave of emotion crash into her core, she let her recklessness take control of her. Ginny bent down as she threw proper code of behavior to the wind and witnessed Draco's pupils dilate as a look of recognition, eagerness, and passion bloomed from their gray abyss. She slowly closed her eyes, "Oh bugger that," was the last thought that flitted through her mind when her delicate lips met her hero's soft ones as two opposing worlds finally collided.
In the private chambers of the King of Ravenclaw in the main castle, an assembly of royalty and aurors met in the cloak of darkness to discuss topics which they did not finish that afternoon. Now it was very late and they were closing the meeting by conferring about the most recent occurrence and most pressing topic-the attack of the troll in the middle of the day…
"It was not an accident! This had to be a cockamamie plan of those two from Slytherin or my name is not Alastor Moody!"
Remus couldn't help but drawl, "It isn't, it's Mad Eye Moody." He felt queasy as he saw the magical eye swivel so fast to focus on him.
"Come now, let's all be serious," Amelia Bones stated, trying to defuse the situation that was about to erupt between the aurors of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.
"Well if everyone is to be serious, then who shall I be?!" Sirius said in a comical voice, trying to contain his mirth at the banal joke.
This caused them to groan, which immediately lessened the tension in the group assembled. They had not wanted to give an inkling to the guests of Slytherin that they were planning to convene, so after everyone entered the chamber, a number of "Coloportus" and "Silencio" spells were muttered and all wands were ever ready.
Considering that the son of the Queen of Gryffindor was lying gravely injured at the north tower and the daughter of the Queen of Ravenclaw was at his side, both mothers were present at this meeting too, having been effectively kicked out of the bed chamber of the guest prince at the north tower upon the arrival of the head healer of Gryffindor. The only one Madam Pomfrey had not been able to eject had been the Crown Princess of Ravenclaw, who upon being commanded to leave, let out a burst of elemental magic shattering every window of the bed chamber and vaporizing the shards before they could impact with anything. After that fine display of unconscious force by the princess, no one had since suggested anything that might have been construed as a request to depart from that room again as Albus was left with the task to repair the damage done.
"I seriously…I meant--I honestly," Albus corrected himself before the Duke from Gryffindor could make another hackneyed gag about the use of his name, "Know that the elder Malfoy had something to do with this. Upon Apparating to the scene, I happened to notice a whispered discussion in a shady area near the courtyard. But as I was about to approach, Lord Malfoy came bounding out from that direction, stating that he was out looking for his son when he heard screaming and went to investigate. I visited the infirmary and upon conferring with Lady Lovegood, the companion of Princess Hermione during the attack, she confirmed the sudden surge of a dark aura."
Everyone nodded gravely, absorbing the information.
"Damn to bloody Hades! I knew he was up to something! I cannot believe I lost him during the coronation!" Moody lamented.
"Sure that swiveling eye of yours wasn't swiveling to the ladies present?" Sirius said, giving Remus a bemused look. The two Marauders loved to tease Moody since he was always so grim and he could be baited so effortlessly! But before Remus could follow up to Sirius' remark, King James raised his hand in a signal for them to quit while they were still ahead. The two then remained silent but laughter could be seen dancing in their eyes.
"Actually Sirius," Moody enunciated, "This swiveling eye was looking out for a young red headed maiden from your kingdom that happen to catch the attention of the younger Malfoy, I was watching them to make sure the lass had it under control. So tell me Sirius, did not the suggestion come from you and Remus that we aurors be designated to keep an eye on their respective citizens?" Moody's voice suddenly became low, turning almost into a growl as he went in for the kill, seeing that the two men in question blush profusely in embarrassment. "Aha! Gotcha…" Moody thought before continuing, "Now, gentlemen, as I recalled, only Amelia and I were doing rounds during the ceremonies and celebration…" he ended.
Looking at Sirius and Remus, Alastor knew that there were only a few times that he could get the better of them. He honestly had a deep fondness for the two incorrigible rogues, but it would be a cold day in July before he'd ever admits it! "Don't play with fire boys, if you aren't willing to be burned sometimes," Alastor thought.
"I…I…uh, I…" Sirius stuttered, trying to come up with an explanation. Truth be told, after the incident at the dance floor, he had sought solace from his current lady companion in a dark corner of the castle.
For his part, Remus just looked like a fish out of water. His eyes were the size of saucers and his mouth was opening and closing repeatedly as he tried to find his own voice. He didn't have the courage to admit he had been busy `guarding' the broom closets of the castle with Nymphadora Tonks, an auror from Ravenclaw who incidentally also happened to be Sirius' cousin.
"Gentlemen, please…" Amelia started. She was used to being the referee in meetings like these. "There are more pressing topics to discuss and I wish to sleep sometime soon!"
All three nodded in a signal that they had called a truce-for the moment.
"I believe that a certain member from the House of Malfoy will be receiving an Order of Merlin from the Kingdom of Gryffindor?" Amelia turned her head to the King of Gryffindor to get a confirmation.
"You believe correctly," King James replied as he stifled a yawn. His queen's head was snuggled on his shoulder. Both James and Lily were completely knackered from the day's events so far. Finding out that the condition of their son was not as stable as they had thought was not easy on the nerves. "If it hadn't been for the princess' constant vigil and immense knowledge on trivial topics such as trolls, Harry would be dead by now. Bloody hell, she should also receive an Order of Merlin too! I wonder if a ring on her finger and a wedding ceremony of the century could be an equivalent to an Order of Merlin first class?" he smiled at the last part of his thought.
"How is Prince Harry?" King Amos asked as he noticed the tired looks on the faces of James and Lily.
"I don't know, Amos. It just frightens me to think of what would have happened if Princess Hermione had not stayed by his side!" Queen Lily said with a sniff.
"By the way, John, thank Princess Hermione for us…we owe her a debt of gratitude," James said, addressing the King of Ravenclaw, who had his wife on his lap.
King John chuckled and sighed; he and his wife Sara were drained from the events of the afternoon too. "We have got to stop thanking each other's children! Believe me James, if it wasn't for Prince Harry, we would be mourning the demise of our little girl. Call it even, then…but I think we still owe Amos for the incident at the coronation."
"Aye, that I agree," the King of Gryffindor affirmed.
King Amos blushed. "Cedric is actually frustrated. He hated the fact that he could have prevented the incident this afternoon. When Albus and I performed Legilimency on him this morning, his vision was so clouded we could not decipher any clear image, just outlines. We couldn't probe anymore without destroying his mind…I should be apologizing for not being of any assistance…"
"Nonsense, Amos! You know how unpredictable the field of Divination is…" Lily snorted.
Dumbledore tried to redirect the conversation by asking, "Amelia, you were saying? Is there a reason that you wish to confirm Master Draco's award?"
"Aye, Albus. But before I continue…King John, when do your guests from Slytherin leave?" Amelia asked again.
"Tomorrow morning…I mean, `this' morning after breakfast. Lord Malfoy sought an audience with me and Sara after dinner and made his farewell. Master Draco was inconspicuously absent. Upon Sara's inquiry, he told us that his son was resting due to injuries sustained." King John answered.
"Well, since the rest of us have extended our visit a couple of days due to this incident, we can come up with a plan for the awarding ceremony of Master Draco in the Kingdom of Gryffindor," Amelia told the group. "Your Majesty, may I request that the House of Weasley be kept in the dark pertaining to our plan on the citation ceremonies-we do not know how…involved…a certain member of their house is with the heir of the Steward of Slytherin…"
"Though I trust Arthur, I will heed your suggestion. But this is assuming that Master Draco accepts the award," King James answered.
"Who in their right mind would refuse?" Mad Eye Moody sputtered out.
"Who said any mind from Slytherin was `right'?" Remus countered, having found his voice again.
"True, very true," Sirius answered immediately.
The rest of the group chuckled in agreement.
Dumbledore then said, "May I suggest that we end this meeting before Duke Sirius starts extrapolating about the rightness of minds of those from the snake kingdom?" To which a resounding chorus of "ayes" were heard.
"We've all had a long, trying day…but let us rest our eyes and weary bodies, for tomorrow shall be a new sunrise. Our minds shall be fresh with ideas by then. Till breakfast later-twinker, barmy skitterfizz!" and with that, Albus Dumbledore Disapparated.
The group felt the wards break and then fall back into place; they knew the locking and silence spells were now broken. Looking at each other, they recalled the last three words uttered by the most powerful wizard since Merlin and then burst out laughing, all thinking that you don't have to be in a right mind to be powerful!
XXXXX
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S DYING?!"
The Princess of Ravenclaw fumed at the healer who had just informed her of the prince's condition. "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" she screamed, which caused the trio that initially left the room to come rushing back in.
Prince Cedric saw the hostile look on the princess. He felt his fiancée clutch his arm, which caught his attention. Following her gaze he, Lady Cho, and Lord Ron saw the knick knacks around the room start to levitate. A charge could be felt in the air, as if a strong thunderstorm was about to erupt. Looking around, he saw the healers stop their administrations over the prince as they all stared at the princess whose eyes were now glowing and transfixed on the poor healer cowering before her.
Cho cautiously approached the princess. Then, looking at Cedric and Ron, who had both brought out their wands. She nodded and then stepped forward, catching the princess in a hug. As she embraced Hermione, Cedric and Ron cast an umbrella charm over everyone in the room, therefore preventing the hovering knick knacks from falling on their heads when the princess lost her concentration upon the contact from her friend.
The three kings, two queens, an overseer, and two Marauders came charging in, wands ready because of the crashing and shrieking heard. King James and Queen Lily looked at the face of the healer before the princess. The poor healer looked as if he was just about to faint. Then they looked to the princess, whose face was now covered by her hands as she sobbed while she being held by Cho. They concluded that their son's condition was not good.
"How could this happen?" Hermione whispered unbelievingly. Then as she turned towards the anxious healers, she roared, "HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED?! WE ARE THE BLOODY SEAT OF HEALING AND YOU MISSED THE FACT THAT THE PRINCE HAS BEEN POISONED?! ARE YOU BLOODY KIDDING ME?!"
Queen Lily gasped as she heard this and King James threw his arms around his wife, whose knees started to buckle. The parents of the princess rushed over to their daughter who was straining against the hold of her friend, and they too started to hold Hermione back, afraid that she would leap across the bed to attack the healers.
Dumbledore turned toward the door, ushered the rest of their group in, closed it, and then cast a powerful silencing and locking charm to the room. He looked at the Princess of Ravenclaw, and thought, "Rowena, you have chosen your heir well. She is powerful indeed, but lacks in control-for now. Yes, I see that she has fulfilled her role in taming the lion-she certainly has him under her spell, as he does her…" he chuckled which caused every pair of eyes to focus on him for the inappropriate sound he had just released. "I'm sorry but I believe that I mistakenly heard that the Crown Prince of Gryffindor -Godric's heir, mind you-has been poisoned? By who, pray tell?"
"By the troll…. Your Majesties, the Crown Prince was held by a mountain troll. Though they are normally nocturnal and do not usually venture to populated areas, they have various ways of protecting themselves," a healer started to explain as green flames erupted from the hearth and Madam Pomfrey emerged, taking in the scene before her.
Taking one look at her prince's leg and his arms, she gasped and turning to Duke Sirius, "You did not tell me he was in contact with a mountain troll!" The duke and king from Gryffindor winced.
The healers of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor suddenly moved in synchronization with each other, pulling out potions, waving wands and muttering incantations. Another burst of green flames erupted from the hearth and Baron Finnigan tumbled out, followed closely behind by Sir Longbottom Ron approached them and then pulled them to the side so they would not be in the way. King James and Queen Lily were about to go to their son when Madam Pomfrey gave them a sharp look, causing them to move back.
"Who else has come in contact with the prince?" Madam Pomfrey asked. All of the Ravenclaw healers looked at the princess, their eyes growing wide. The king, queen, and Cho instinctively released her.
Three healer wands were aimed at King John, Queen Sara, and Lady Cho; each tip glowed blue after a moment. Then a healer wand was trained at Prince Cedric and Lord Ronald, and again their tips went blue. The healer's wand was about to aim at King James when he said, "I never came in contact with my son or the troll." The healer shrugged but ran his wand over the King of Gryffindor. Again the result was blue. Then it moved to Queen Lily. When the result was blue, every healer let out a sigh of relief, knowing that the blue light had confirmed that they had no poison circulating in their system.
Finally the supervising healer, who had broken the news to the princess, approached Hermione, glancing back at Madam Pomfrey whose wand was trained at her prince. They uttered under their breaths and waved their wands over their assigned person, both tips glowed green. Suddenly the princess was enveloped by a white aura her eyes glowing, hair whipping around her face from a sourceless wind, the wand which was trained on her vibrated in the hand of the healer then a blue light erupted from it's tip. All the healers gasped as the princess assumed her normal appearance. Dumbfounded, they looked at each other and then at the princess.
Dumbledore, having witnessed this, was amazed too. Never before had he seen self healing magic in such a raw setting. With a twinkle in his eyes, he thought to himself, "Well, she isn't the heir of Rowena for nothing!" The princess then approached the bed Prince Harry was laying down in. Looking at Madam Pomfrey and seeing that the tip of her wand was still green, she reached out to Harry, but was stopped by the healer from Gryffindor.
"Your highness, please. You may get infected again. Let us healers do our duty. Prince Harry James will be taken care of to the best of our abilities…" Madam Pomfrey conveyed.
"Please, Madam Pomfrey… I know what I am doing. We are wasting enough time as it is; I've read what the poison of mountain trolls can do to humans. Though benign to other trolls, contact is fatal to man. Just a brush with a troll's skin can cause sickness for a week. A drop of blood if ingested by a human will instantly kill him. Harry saved my life, now it is my turn to save his," the princess spoke softly, yet everyone in the room heard her clearly.
The princess climbed onto the bed and knelt beside the unconscious form of her hero whose breaths were starting to grow shallow. She took his face in her hands and closing her eyes, she concentrated. She had never performed anything magical of this magnitude before-yet it somehow felt natural to her, as if she was being guided by some ancient hand in her actions.
Those who looked on at the two figures on the bed were rendered speechless; the parents of the two young royals were beside each other. The mothers clutched each other's hands for support as their respective husbands held them in their arms, all their eyes transfixed on the sight before them.
The princess opened her eyes. It was glowing now and a white mist engulfed the pair. Hermione felt her hands grow warm. Reaching down, she placed a hand over the leg that the troll had grabbed and then an intense heat moved from her hand to the leg of the prince. The bruises disappeared in seconds and she smiled softly as she moved her hands to his arms. Hermione looked at the welts that had appeared from where the troll's blood had splattered. Anger filled her at the sight of the harm that the troll had inflicted, and again heat radiated from her hands to the arms of the prince. The welts vanished immediately.
Finally her hands went back to cup his cheeks, looking down Hermione whispered, "Wake up, luv…" She watched as his eyelids flickered for a moment and then she saw bright emerald orbs looking up at her.
She smiled as the prince instinctively wrapped his arms around her and he pulled her closer to him. With color rapidly filling his face, he smiled at her and she said, "It's about time you woke up, your highness."
Then her eyes rolled back into her head as the Princess of Ravenclaw slumped heavily into the arms of the shocked Prince of Gryffindor as she lost consciousness.
XXXXX
The Prince of Gryffindor woke up. Looking through the window he could make out the foliage outside in vibrant colors of red, orange, and brown. It was the beginning of autumn after all. He then smiled to himself; there was now a familiar feeling that he was getting very used to every time his green eyes would open. Turning to his other side, he saw a recognizable head whose beautiful brown hair with light highlights was spread on the other side of the bed. She was in an awfully painful position-half on the bed perpendicular to him and half on that ridiculous bedside chair with pink fluffy cushions.
Her hair tickled his arm as he looked down at their tangled fingers. Carefully lifting their hands up, he examined her small delicate fingers in his calloused ones. Harry felt a warm feeling emanate from his chest as he thought of how natural it seemed for Hermione's hand to fit so splendidly in his as if they had been crafted for each other. He wondered how he could go back to Gryffindor and live without the presence of the princess at his side every waking moment.
An idea was starting to formulate in his head as he recalled what a certain twin from the House of Weasley had said concerning a ring…"Sometimes those prats have their moments! But will she agree?"
Harry looked down at Hermione's peacefully contorted figure, "That has got to be the most uncomfortable position to sleep in ever…" The prince made an attempt to pull her closer, then stopped when he heard a cluck of a tongue from somewhere beyond the foot of his bed. Lifting his head so ever slowly in an attempt not to wake the sleeping beauty beside him, he saw two blurry figures both sitting in the same comical bedside chair that the princess slept in…
"I wouldn't do that if I were you… You might end up in a very compromising position that would call for another ceremony and an exchanging of rings, mate," Ron said. The man with dark blond hair chuckled, shaking his head slowly.
"Maybe I want to be in that very compromising position, ever thought of that?" Harry shot back in a hissing whisper, as he looked at the still sleeping figure of the princess.
"Who said that she wants to be in that compromising position with you-eh, mate?" Ron countered, smiling as he did so to take off the edge.
"I think we've established the fact that it is mutual," the dark blond prince from Helga's kingdom stated with a grin.
"Shut your traps-we may wake her up!" the prince of Gryffindor said in his hissing whisper.
"Harry, take it from me-a pack of hippogriffs can come charging in and dance the tango before her highness and she'll still be out. Did you know that Hermione hasn't left your side since the troll fiasco?" Cedric informed his counter part from the kingdom of the Lion. He and Ron saw the prince raise himself slowly to a sitting position, still not breaking the contact he had with the princess.
Harry shook his head, a bit dazed. He looked around and noticed that things were blurry. Reaching over to the bed stand he tried to get his glasses, but seeing that he couldn't reach it, he looked over at the two gentlemen. He saw that they were in no hurry to help him in this simple task. Harry looked down at his hand still holding the princess', he was now officially stuck in a predicament, "Cedric, can you please…"
"Bloody hell, Harry, let go of her hand!" Cedric said then tried to conceal his silly smile as Harry glared at him.
"Ron?"
"No way, mate. Seeing you struggle like this is just rich…" Ron said, watching with interest .
Harry, letting out a deep breath to contain his frustrations at his so called friends, slowly maneuvered his lower body, every so often looking at the still sleeping princess to make sure she didn't stir. Then he reached the bed stand with his feet. He could just imagine how humiliating he looked since he heard the two men snickering at him. Harry then felt his toes come in contact with his glasses. Gripping them awkwardly he was able to inch them closer to the bed. Finally, after a little fancy `foot work,' he was able to get hold of his glasses and put them on. Looking at the princess, he let out a sigh of relief that she had not woken up. He could now clearly see Cedric and Ron, both red with restrained laughter.
"What?" Harry asked.
"Mate, for a somewhat powerful wizard and heir to an influential kingdom, you certainly are dense!" Ron said in between laughs.
"Harry it is so hilarious watching you do that! Very nimble-I'm sure Hermione will gladly appreciate it when you put it to good use in bed!" Cedric chided the now red faced prince.
"What's wrong with you gits?! I needed my glasses and a lot of help you two are!" Harry spat softly, not quite achieving the effect he wanted his sentence to have since he was trying to make as little noise as possible.
Ron couldn't contain himself; he gripped the arm rest of the chair he was seated on to prevent himself from collapsing to the floor with mirth! Looking over at the prince of Hufflepuff, Ron saw that he too, was reflecting his stance. "Your highness, I recall that you were able to call your sword which was tucked away at this tower in your closed, locked trunk with the spell-`A C C I O'. Who would have believed that getting your glasses a mere few inches away from you would be much more challenging? Is that not right, Prince Cedric?" Ron ended.
"That you are right in, Lord Ron!" Cedric burst out in laughter.
Harry felt sheepish, he certainly was not thinking right-looking at the princess still unconscious, he knew the reason why. Sighing he tried to stretch and felt pain on his back, arms and leg. Looking at the two he asked, "Oi! How long have I been out?"
This question sobered up the two immediately. Looking at each other and then at the man who inquired, "A week, mate…" Ron answered softly.
"WHAT!" Harry said very loudly, and then he felt the bed shift as the princess moved. The three gentlemen held their breaths. Hermione moved her free hand across the bed and the prince went utterly still. Finally, the free hand of the princess came in contact with his waist. Sighing, she turned her head and went back to sleep. The three men let out a shaky breath.
"What?!" Harry whispered.
This brought the Cedric and Ron closer to Harry's bed. Levitating their chairs from the fireplace they placed it on the other side of his bed and started to explain everything that had happened since Harry was brought out from his stupor and the poison from the troll was extracted by the princess. Ron related that Neville and Seamus had stayed till the fifth day when they were summoned back to Gryffindor, and how his parents had wanted to stay but Madam Pomfrey had convinced them to return to Gryffindor since their duties at the kingdom needed to be fulfilled. So they had left as well on the third day after the attack along with the Marauders and the House of Weasleys.
Cedric then told him that his father, too went back to Hufflepuff on the same day as the king and queen of Gryffindor left. He decided it was best to stay behind to watch over the princess. They told Harry that the heir of the Steward of Slytherin would be given an Order of Merlin because of his actions in rescuing Ginny to which Harry choked, but couldn't do much more since now both princess' hands were on him and he did not want that fact to change.
Cedric told him that Lady Cho had indeed flooed her father when Hermione collapsed but after the healer conferred with Madam Pomfrey about his and Hermione's condition, Healer Chang said there was nothing he could do since all the couple really needed was a good sleep, but there was a problem: the stubborn princess refused to sleep after she regained consciousness. Then his fiancée went back to his kingdom with her father to resume her healer training, but continued flooing him every hour, asking for an update on their conditions. Ron then continued on about how the princess never left his side, because she was worried for him - although most of the poison had been removed, there was still enough left in Harry's system to cause him to have a very high fever for two days.
"Madam Pomfrey is still here?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, mate, so is Dobby," Ron answered.
"What did Hermione do to make Madam Pomfrey have her stay here?" Harry wanted to find out, knowing fully well that the healer never let anyone stay for a prolonged period of time with him whenever he was injured-even his parents.
"Oh, it was easy. The princess here shattered every window in this room-take note, without her wand!" Ron said, somewhat amazed.
"Aye Harry, in fact when she was told by the supervising healer of Ravenclaw that you were dying, and then discovering that it was a mountain troll that attacked you, she almost blew up the tower! Cho had to hug her to break her concentration!"
Harry's jaw dropped at that tidbit.
"Yeah mate, I'd think twice before I get the princess go ballistic at me! How you're going to always stay in her good graces is beyond me," Ron joked.
"I remember hearing her; it was dark and I heard her telling me to wake up. Then it was like I was being pulled toward her voice... I saw her and then she said something... then finally, she collapsed on top of me. Funny, it felt like I wanted to kiss her…then I was in the dark again and every so often I'd hear her voice telling me to go back to her…" Harry said in confusion, trying to make sense of what he just said.
"Harry, you almost did kiss her," Cedric whispered. He reiterated how the princess healed herself and then he finally ended his story with how Hermione had collapsed from the sheer magnitude of the spell she'd cast.
"Hermione never left your side; she stayed in that chair Albus conjured up for her. She had her ladies in waiting bring up books which she read to you while you were recovering. Did you know that when anyone visited you, we always caught her in some state of tears? Sometimes she was bawling, complaining that you weren't listening to her-even scolding you while you were out of it for having a thick head! Other times, she just stared at you, her tears dried up on her cheeks-we were more afraid of her state of mind than we were of your recuperation! Harry, last night was the first night Hermione slept peacefully and that was only because her mother put in a little sleeping draught in her evening tea."
"I swear, that one is scary. When you were going into fits because of your fever and the poison, all the healers would bound up here along with Poppy. But before they could do anything or slip you a potion, the princess would just put both her hands on your shoulders and whisper something into your ear. Then you'd stop and go back to a peaceful sleep-what was scary is that after doing that she'd pick up her book and read again, like nothing happened-honestly, mental that one is..." Ron explained.
The Prince of Gryffindor looked at his two friends who had stayed with him throughout this entire ordeal with an expression of deep gratitude. Then he shifted his eyes to the Princess of Ravenclaw still sleeping in a position that would certainly cause a few knots in her body. He felt something stronger for her than appreciation for never leaving him. He knew what he had to do-but the next steps were very crucial.
Looking back at his best mates, he smiled and said, "Gentlemen, there is a favor I ask of you…I have to make our remaining stay in the Kingdom of Rowena very worthwhile. It's a hunting we shall go…"
At Cedric's and Ron's confused looks, he simply stated, "Mates, this lion has to go capture his eagle!" The two men smirked, understanding what Harry meant-then they started planning their strategies in catching Harry's prey; all the while the Prince of Gryffindor never disturbed the physical hold the Princess of Ravenclaw had on him.
A/N-whew…that's it for this chapter-don't forget to tell me what you think by leaving a review! :D
…teaser for the next chapter...Red Moon, a visit to Voldie's past and HHr's relationship takes a big leap…
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