A/N: From the feedback I've been getting, you guys are receiving this story a lot better than I originally thought so thank you so much for having faith in me and my writing. I hope that you will bear with me because this story is going to be a bit slow to start but it will get better, I promise! Loads and loads of Harry/Hermione goodness in on the way, just you wait.
Thanks again to my beta, Vincent! He may not like the story that much, but he's still a lifesaver when it comes to my poor grammer skills.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine nor will it ever be. -cries-
Enjoy!
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Magique
Chapter Two: A Feminine Touch
"Harry! Harry! Oh Harry, honestly, put down that blasted sword and come inside! Sirius is in a right state."
Harry turned around and saw none other than his best friend with her hands resting on her waist in a stance of the utmost annoyance. Her hair was in disarray and she was slightly out of breath from her trek across the grounds. He would have laughed if she didn't look so angry. Nothing scared him more than an irate Hermione. And with the things that he'd seen in his life, that was saying quite a lot.
"Oh come on, Hermione," He wined, doing a complicated manoeuvre that made his sword glisten in the sunlight. "You above everyone else should admire that I'm practicing my swordsmanship."
She cocked an eyebrow. "And I above everyone else should smack you upside the head for being late for another Council meeting."
His eyes widened. "Oh shit, that wasn't this afternoon, was it?"
She nodded her head slowly and he cursed under his breath. He readjusted the sword in his hand and took out his wand, banishing it to the armory. On a normal day he would have walked it there himself, taking special care not to damage it. But today was not a normal day. The Council was here in Gryffindor and he was late for the meeting. Again.
"I reminded you a hundred times yesterday." Hermione said matter-of-factly. "What, dare I ask, encouraged you to forget that? Even Ron was there on time."
"Okay, okay, I get it." Harry said quickly, stripping off his armor and flinching as the spotless metal clunked against the hard ground.
Hermione sighed and took pity on him. She walked over to him and removed each of his bracers, placing them carefully on the ground. She looked him over once and frowned. Raising her hand, she brushed some dirt out of his messy hair and nodded to herself.
"Well, you're not exactly dressed to impress but I'm sure they'll overlook it."
He smiled softly. "Thank you, Hermione."
"You're welcome, Harry." She returned his smile. "Now go on before they send out a search party."
He nodded once and took off to the castle behind her. She turned around and watched him, laughing quietly to herself. If she didn't have so much confidence in the future king, she would have worried for the wellbeing of Gryffindor. But she knew what he was capable of and there was no doubt in her mind that, despite his few faults, he would be the best king this kingdom had ever seen.
~*~
Harry was out of breath as he burst through the double-doors that lead into the great hall. All heads turned to him and he felt himself redden. He spotted the kingdom representatives seated around the long table and thanked Merlin this wasn't an official meeting of the royals. He would never be able to recover from missing one of them. His boots clunked against the stone floor as he went to his seat between his godfather and king of Gryffindor, Sirius Black, and his most trusted knight and friend, Ronald Weasley. The leader of the council, Kingsley Shacklebolt, looked at him with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
"Nice of you to join us, Harry," Kingsley said, his voice echoing throughout the hall.
"Sorry, Councilman," he replied softly. "It won't happen again."
"I should hope not. We wouldn't want the future king of Gryffindor late to his own coronation next year now would we?"
"No, sir." Harry said, his face turning an even darker shade of scarlet.
"Oh go easy on the young lad."
Every face turned toward to Kingsley's right, where the court consultant Albus Dumbledore resided. He was known to be somewhat of an oracle and spent most of his time training young nobles, including Harry, to reach their fullest potential. Sometimes his opinions were regarded as better than even the lead Councilman, which is what drove the last one out of office. Kingsley, however, was one of his former students and took his opinions to heart.
"I am sure that when the time comes, Harry will be more than capable to take the crown with dignity, honor, and timeliness." The old consultant had a sparkle in his eyes. "Right, my boy?"
"Of course." Harry replied.
Kingsley nodded and addressed the rest of the room. "Now that that's settled, we shall begin the meeting. The first order of business is the third annual Freedom Ball in celebration of the defeat of the Dark Lord Voldemort. I assume Gryffindor will be holding the festivities?"
Sirius spoke up. "Yes sir, we would be honored."
"Good." Kinsley said. "On that note, I do have a slight change in assignment." There were slight murmurings among the Council as he shuffled through a pile of parchment and pulled out a small folded piece. He squinted as he read the intricate handwriting. "Miss Elizabeth Fowl and her daughter, Lady Clara of Ravenclaw have filed an official request to come to Gryffindor a fortnight prior to the ball to assist in the preparations."
"And what has brought this on?" Sirius asked curiously.
Kingsley looked back down at the parchment. He chuckled and looked up. "It seems as though they feel that a feminine touch is needed in the castle of Gryffindor."
A few laughs echoed throughout the room. It was well known that neither Harry nor Sirius had chosen to settle down, though the female suitors wishing to be in their company were never few. The only females residing in the castle at all were the maids, court matron, and, of course, the newly crowned Lady Hermione, who after assisting in the defeat of Voldemort became the first Muggleborn witch to earn the title of Lady in the history of Hogwarts. But despite these residing women, the absence of a Queen and Princess overshadowed their presence.
"Is this request granted, Sirius?" Kingsley asked.
Attention shifted to the king and Sirius looked at Harry for a moment before answering, but he seemed to be lost in his thoughts. He looked back up at the head of the table. "I don't see why not. I fear that I agree with Miss Elizabeth - Gryffindor is in dire need of a feminine presence when making these decisions."
"But we have Hermione." Harry blurted, interrupting any further elaboration that his godfather might have said. The quiet rumble of voices started up again with his outburst.
"Indeed," Sirius answered over the whispers. "But it doesn't hurt to have more help. What harm could it do, really?"
"Have we had complaints about the way the balls have been arranged previous to this request?" Harry countered. The question was directed more at the Council than his godfather, but he refused to remove his eyes from Sirius.
"There have been some rumors throughout the kingdoms among the hierarchy." Amos Diggory, the Hufflepuff representative said. Harry looked over at him. "Nothing too dramatic, of course, just whispers of a pitchy orchestra or overused color scheme."
"And these are whispers enough to enlist the assistance of two Ladies in the planning of a ball that is designated to run on Gryffindor soil?" Harry asked angrily.
"Kingdom unity is always a top priority when deciding these tasks. Are you against the help of your sister kingdom, your highness?" Draco Malfoy, prince of Slytherin and kingdom representative asked slyly.
Harry answered through clenched teeth. "Of course I'm not. I just find it ludicrous that because a gathering lacks femininity, it should be a reason to enlist assistance as though suggesting the drapery contributes to the overall meaning of the ball itself. We are celebrating the defeat of a Dark Lord, not showing off our floral patterns."
"But showmanship does contribute to the overall mood of a ball, don't you agree?" Draco smirked. "You can't expect people to enjoy themselves when the chandelier is missing an entire section of jewels."
"That was damaged in the final battle and is a symbol of triumph." Harry defended. "Besides, what does vanity have to do with anything? Just because something isn't perfect doesn't mean it has to be fixed."
"Tell that to your mistress who just passed a law through your king to strengthen the wards in the lower towns."
"That was a law passed by the king."
"On paper, yes, but word around the kingdoms is that the prince's favorite coerced the king to do her bidding."
"What should it matter when it helped the people of the land be better protected?" Harry asked, his temper rising with every word. "Are you insinuating that Muggleborns shouldn't have the right to stronger protection?"
"Of course not, I'm simply inquiring about the amount of persuasion a Lady has over her king."
"If the result is for the greater good, it shouldn't cross anyone's mind that it is something worth fretting over."
"Naturally you would stick up for the woman who warms your highnesses' sheets."
"And what exactly are you implying?"
"You know very well what I and many others think of your Mud-"
"Harry, Draco, if you please. Let's keep this discussion on the present task at hand, shall we?" Kingsley interrupted before Draco could tarnish his kingdom any further.
Harry looked at him and spoke softly. "Sorry, Councilman."
Draco repeated the apology and Harry ground his teeth. He should have expected Draco to speak out of turn. He was only trying to get under his skin and nothing else. Never mind that he and the entire Slytherin royal family was supposed to be in Azkaban for their affiliation with Voldemort in the war. They had been pardoned and continued to rule unjustly in their kingdom.
"Harry, do you have an official objection to the request of the Fowl's assistance?"
Harry didn't know how to answer that question. Truthfully, he didn't know why he had spoken up to begin with. There was no harm in allowing two new women into their castle to assist in the preparation of a ball - something he always dreaded doing anyway. Planning balls was the one thing that he absolutely despised in his line of princely duties. But he had felt a need to bring up Hermione's name, to defend her, even though she wasn't fond of planning balls either. Since she was the only woman of title in the household, she was called upon for decisions like these but was about as clueless on silk versus satin as he was. But that still didn't change the fact that she was the Lady of the castle and would most likely take it as an insult when two new women of title requested to assist in the preparations for the festivities.
All eyes were on him and he realized that he had been silent for more time than was deemed appropriate. Knowing that he would face many questions if he didn't side with his godfather, he spoke without letting his opinions show.
"If it would be in the best interests of the ball to have them here, then no, Councilman, I have no formal objections."
Sirius nodded once and turned back to Kingsley. "They can stay in the west wing. I'll have one of the maids prepare a room for them tonight. If my calculations are correct, the fortnight begins three days from today."
"Right you are, Sirius." Dumbledore said. "I will write the confirmation letter myself, and send it with the Ravenclaw representative. I hope you do not mind, Xenophilius."
"Of course not, Dumbledore," Xenophilius answered kindly.
After the matter of the Fowls was settled, Harry tuned out of the rest of the meeting, only speaking up when necessary. He immediately regretted not sticking to his opinion but Hermione was not regarded very well among members of the Council after last year. Comments like Draco's were similar to the thoughts of many. Harry sticking up for her would not only make people question his authority, but put her in danger. Anyone on the bad side of the Council was as good as dead and although it was headed by Kingsley, a kind and just leader, it was still risky.
The meeting lasted another half hour and after discussing the dwindling number of lower town attacks within the last month, something Harry felt the need to smile proudly about for the entire discussion, it adjourned. Harry made a beeline for the exit, Ron following close behind. Normally he would have stayed a while longer to talk with Dumbledore or Sirius, but because of his small outburst he didn't want to risk any unneeded conversation.
After every meeting, the two of them always went to Hermione's quarters to inform her about what went on inside the meeting. When her request to be put on the Gryffindor court was denied, she had made them promise to keep her up to date on the discussions that took place. Her room was on the topmost floor of the castle overlooking the gardens and was the farthest from the great hall. They reached her door in a few minutes and Harry knocked three times quickly and twice slowly to signal it was him and Ron on the other side. It opened and they slipped inside.
Hermione was sitting on her favorite chair by the fireplace, her feet tucked underneath her and a book closed on her lap. She looked at the two of them with eager anticipation. "So, what did I miss?"
Harry and Ron took their normal seats on the two chairs opposite her and scooted them forward so that they were in a close circle. Harry spoke first. "The attacks have almost completely stopped in the lower towns."
She smiled. "That's good news."
"Of course it was all thanks to the new wards that were set up last month with the new law." Ron said with a knowing smirk.
"That someone in this room helped petition to pass." Harry finished.
"Yes, I suppose that would help a bit." Hermione said as she blushed. "But it's not all my doing, surely. Sirius was kind enough to help me plead my case to the Council. Without him it wouldn't have been considered at all."
"You're far too modest for your own good, Hermione." Harry said. "We all know that you're the mastermind behind it all, no matter what the proclamation says."
She bowed her head and Harry couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked when she was embarrassed. Of course, he always thought she looked pretty; something he repeatedly told her and resulted in similar actions to what she was doing now.
She looked back up at Harry. "You didn't get in too much trouble for being late did you?"
He smirked. "Do I ever?"
She rolled her eyes and pressed on. "Anything else happen?"
"Nothing important," Harry said quickly.
"Well, not very important." Ron continued.
She noticed that the both of them were sporting identical looks of guilt on their faces. They never kept things from her before and they weren't doing a good job of it now. She gave them a stern look and asked, "What is it?"
Ron was the first to meet her eyes. "Well, there was a request from Ravenclaw to assist in the planning of the Freedom Ball."
"Oh." She said, relieved. "Well, that's good, isn't it? We could use some help planning it since no one in this castle is very fond of it - especially the decorations."
"That's the thing…" Ron said solemnly. "The request came from two women that felt that the castle needed `a feminine touch.'"
"A feminine touch?" Hermione repeated icily. "And what is that supposed to mean? In order to throw a party you have to know the difference between silk and satin?"
"Apparently." Harry said solemnly.
Hermione felt her anger rise. Though she knew that their concern most likely had nothing to do with her, she still took the insinuation to heart.
"Harry did bring up your name, though." Ron said. Harry looked over and glared at him.
"You did?" She asked, looking over at Harry with wide eyes.
"Er, yeah."
"Oh, Harry, you didn't need to. I'm about as helpful around here as a dirty rag."
"Don't say that." Harry said seriously. He reached across and put his hand atop hers "You help around here plenty! Sure, it's not with all of the pretty things but when it comes to things that matter you're practically the queen."
Her cheeks colored at the comparison and she squeezed his hand. "Thank you, Harry."
He returned the pressure. "I only speak the truth."
Their eyes connected and Hermione looked away, her face warming. Harry let go of her hand and Ron cleared his throat.
"Harry's right, Hermione. This castle wouldn't function without you. No new arrivals are ever going to change that, especially ones that think so lowly of our femininity."
Hermione looked at the two of them in turn, her eyes shining. "Thank you - both of you. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Let's hope we don't have to find out." Harry said gently.
The three of them shared identical soft smiles. They had been inseparable for nine years and none wished any different. They had been through more than people twice their age, both good and bad, and it had only strengthened their bond. It was moments like these that reminded them that they still had a long journey ahead of them. And what a journey it would be.
Ron chose to speak up first, daring to test the tender moment. "Well, they arrive in three days time. I'd say that's plenty of time to prepare for an overload of femininity."
The three of them laughed together.
"Let's hope that they won't drive all of us mad with their feminine presence. Merlin! If they think we don't have enough, they may have too much to handle." He continued.
Harry turned to Ron, a grin plastered on his face. "Granted, they are from Ravenclaw - land of the erudite. How bad could they possibly be?"
Like many things Harry said, he didn't know how wrong he was.
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