The Prime Princess

Owls flew into the Great Hall at breakfast and delivered the mail and packages to students and the faculty. An emerald green envelope landed before Hermione who was chatting lively with Millicent and Pansy. Opposite to them sat Gregory and Vincent, the mighty titans of Slytherin and devoured all the food on the table. Millicent looked so proud.

“What it say?” asked Pansy and looked curiously at the envelope, forgetting her own mail. Hermione ripped it open and an invitation fell out. She picked it up and lifted it before her eyes.

“Wow,” sighed Pansy, “That is just so romantic!”

“I want a poem too,” said Millicent and looked at her boys who had heard her and looked terrified.

“We’ll write you a poem. Yes, we will,” they started but Millicent waved them off. Hermione stared the heavy golden letters and bite her lower lip. An invitation for dinner at 6 o’clock in Royal Cortez with Lucius Malfoy. She hadn’t expected him to move so quickly. Pansy was getting excited with every second she read the card over her shoulder.

“You’ll need a beautiful gown for that! We’ll have to go to London for that. I know this very chic boutique,” started Pansy with her vision of that night and Hermione tried to block her voice out of her head. To shut her up, she asked a stupid question.

“Can’t you just conjure me a ball gown like you do in your classes?” asked Hermione sweetly. Pansy really shut up for a second to stare at her.

“But the spell only lasts for 24 hours! You don’t want to wake up in a rag next morning! You need a fine gown, an expensive one,” explained Pansy. Hermione gave up. She was glad that Blaise and Draco were doing the early patrol and didn’t know anything about that.

“Then I have to get us tickets to Hogwarts Express,” sighed Hermione. When dressing stylish, travel stylish.
***
Quidditch practice had gone a bit longer than the schedule said, so Griffindor team marched onto the pitch and stared at Slytherins double team in the sky. Ginny Weasley gripped hard at her broom and gritted her teeth.

“Harry, why are they still here?” she asked in spitting fury. Harry turned to look at his redheaded girlfriend. The twins were at each other again and didn’t even notice Ginny starting a scene. Seamus and Dean were watching the catfight and Ron was just choked by the size of Slytherin team.

“Guess they lost the sense of time,” said Harry and mounted his broom.

“Hey!” yelled Ginny.

Draco had noticed griffindors long ago but didn’t call it quits. Hermione was playing with the Snitch and Eris was shouting orders as she hovered before goalhoops. Vincent and Sappho were battling with Bludgers and the blond LaLey lost the Quaffle to Raiden. The practice was still in full throttle and he wasn’t going to be the one to end it.

Harry got close enough to growl over others.

“Malfoy!”

“Yeah, Potter,” sneered Draco, “What you want?” They were hovering in the middle of a fierce game that had started from a simple practice and not even the capturing of the Snitch didn’t end it.

“You, outta here,” said Harry and dodged from a Bludger and Gregory.

“Well, we have a problem then,” smirked Draco, “My team doesn’t want to get outta here.” With a second Ginny was right besides Harry and stared at Draco. The blond only shrugged his shoulders and looked over his teammates having a blast.

“If you don’t get the hell off this pitch, I’ll hex you to next millennium!” declared Ginny and was fast to draw a wand at him. Draco only sneered but the three rings entwined on his cheek started to glow under his pale skin.

“What and loose your status for attacking the Head Boy?” asked Draco. Ginny was fuming and turned red. The next moment all the Griffindor team was hovering behind Harry with a murderous look. Quinn twins had stopped strangling each other and were ready to kick someone else’s butt. The menace from Durmstrang was quite a threat but Draco didn’t loose his coolness. He had much bigger army to back him up but it only took the two titans to scare the hell out of half the Griffindor.

Hermione dashed past Ginny and the Bludger tracking her hit Ginny in the back instead. Weaslette tumbled off the broom and fell to the ground. Seamus darted after her but was too late to save her from the impact.

“Gin, you alright?” shouted Harry and when Ginny nodded, he turned to look at innocent Prime Princess. The Golden Snitch was in her hand as she glided gently next to Draco. Harry wanted to scream at her for causing pain to Ginny but he couldn’t. The Venus sitting on the broom was too gorgeous to treat her like that. What the hell?! She’s Slytherin, for Gods sake!

“Wanna play?” asked Hermione and let the Snitch escape only to catch it again. “Who gets the Snitch first can have the field for the next two hours.”

“What? No way! We have the right! I’ll kill ya! Who said that?” Griffindor was shocked and angry but Slytherin stayed smug like always. Hermione raised her eyebrows at Harry, hoping to provoke him to take the challenge. Harry was silent but the need to prove himself roared inside him. Ginny was up in the air again and elbowed his brother whose eyes were transfixed on the Ariston bitch.

“Stop drooling,” hissed Ginny. Ron turned red and went to hide himself behind Dean and Seamus who had started to cheer for Harry to show from what Griffindor was made of.

“Fine, I’ll play your game,” said Harry, “But by my rules.”

“Oh, he does,” murmured Draco and raised his hand to give a sign to pause the practice for a moment.

“And your rules would be?” asked Hermione from him but looked straight at Ginny.

“A fair game, only the Seekers on the pitch, no magic or others help,” said Harry.

“Potter, you are forgetting with whom you’re playing with,” drawled Draco, “We are Slytherin after all.”
***
Blaise sat on the stands and read a book about love potions. It was an interesting material but he never thought he’d actually use the knowledge to seduce some lady. Under him two teams parted and left only Captains to the pitch. The raven-haired Harry and fair-haired Draco faced each other. Hermione stood on the ground underneath them and hold the Snitch.

“Boys? Are you ready?” she asked as Draco and Harry were doing the staring contest. “Catch it!!!” she yelled and threw the tiny winged ball into the air. Blaise raised his eyes and watched the two archenemies chase after it. Interesting, he figured and then noticed a bushy haired witch ran to the field. Carmen Granger. What she wanted?

“Harry!” she yelled and looked up into the sky where two Seekers were flying side by side. “Harry!”

“What is it?” demanded Ron and tugged her away. Carmen breathed hard and stared at Ron for a second.

“Hagrid,” she said.

“What about him?” asked Ron and looked around to see if anyone had noticed anything. Only Ginny had pushed herself closer and looked at Carmen.

“He… he, um, he is missing. The whole hut is trashed and Fang is ripped into pieces. Oh God, there’s so much blood! What if he’s…” sobbed Carmen and her knees gave away. Ron grabbed at her and supported the wailing witch. Ginny went after them as Ron carried Carmen into the changing-room.

“Okay, calm down, Camme,” said Ginny and sat onto the bench next to Carmen. Ron stood on the door keeping watch to see when one of the Seekers catches the Snitch.

“I’m sure Hagrid is not dead,” said Ginny and hugged her best friend.

“But… who could have done such a thing?” Carmen sniffed and dried her tears with the back of her hand. “I mean, all the creatures love Hagrid and… and… Oh jeez, someone just killed him!”

“No one killed anyone,” hushed Ginny and looked at her brother. “It was Ariston. I know it!”

“What?!” squealed Ron.

“I heard the bitch talk bad about Hagrid in girls restroom. She hates Hagrid more than anyone else. Damn pureblood slut! Thinks she’s so perfect!” cursed Ginny and hugged sobbing Carmen.
***
The streets of Wizarding London were packed with people doing the pre-Christmas shopping. Hermione had left Pansy and Millicent into beauty parlor and went to do some shopping on her own. Also she had managed to ditch Professor Snape to Knockturn Alley to find something interesting for his Potion Class. She wondered if she’d run into Lucius but that was just wishful thinking. Lucius was lately busy with some jurisdictional businesses that bored Hermione to no end.

Inside one store stood two wizards behind the counter and looked out of the large window filled with advertising merchandise.

“Next witch, who comes in, you gotta kiss,” was the ground rule for the challenge.

“But what if it’s an old crone, Forge?” asked Fred Weasley and shuddered.

“Well, then you can have a potion that erases your memory,” said his twin and laughed.

“That’s not good enough! You’d still remember it,” growled Fred and turned his head when the bell rang. Both twins were gobsmacked when Hermione Ariston stepped into their store and disappeared behind shelves. George elbowed his twin twice to get Fred back to reality.

“Now, here you go,” said George and smirked, “There goes your old crone.”

Fred had turned white and just stared the spot where the Aristons heir had just been. George smirked and held one eye on other customers in the store.

“Remember, a kiss,” he said and went to assist some youngsters. Fred grabbed at his arm and hauled him back.

“She’s… Well, she’s… You know,” stuttered Fred. George raised his eyebrow and looked at his twin carefully. Had he gone too far? Nah!

“She’s what? The witch ickle Ronnykins has dreamed of all of his life? The witch that has more money than Malfoy could count? The witch that makes my baby brother scare?” teased George and poked him with a finger to emphasize his words.

“Few minutes won’t make me a baby brother,” hissed Fred, “And I am not scared of her.”

“Good,” said George and patted him on the shoulder. Fred shot him a stern glare and took off. George chuckled and went to tender his customers.

In the farthest corner was the pray who reached up to get something from the top shelf. Fred sneaked closer and let his eyes roam over her. A long mink fur coat was open in front and a vision of a little white leather top and short leather skirt made Fred’s mind twirl. Black knee high stiletto boots strike right his libido, as Fred looked support from the shelf when walking seemed to be a problem with an ache inside his pants. Hermione glanced at him and smiled. Her discolored eyes shined and made Fred gasp.

“Hi, could you help me?” she asked and didn’t bother to hide skimpy garments under her fur coat.

“Yes, of course,” said Fred and followed her pointing hand to a jar filled with lilac cloud. Hermione stepped closer to him as Fred handed her The Mist of Dreams.

“Thanks,” she said and holding the jar with one, she reached up with the other and pushed aside a strand of red hair. Fred held back the coming shiver as Hermione’s fingers touched his face. “Fred,” she finished her sentence and smiled as she recognized a little birthmark.

She is slytherin, slytherin, slytherin, a snake, said Fred to himself, but a very sexy one. Fuck, I’ll kill George for that! He’s so gonna pay!

Hermione faced Fred with a gentle smile still on her lips and looked right through him. When Fred lost the ability to curse himself and George, he saw Hermione standing right in front of him. For a split second he understood what had Ron felt all these years when professors had paired him up with her. She was trouble. No wonder why Ron was so clumsy.

“You would have preferred the old crone, wouldn’t you?” asked Hermione in a whisper. Fred blinked and stared at her.

“Wha…” Hermione placed a delicate finger on his lips and gave him a sad smile.

“I’m sorry that I am slytherin,” she said and closed her eyes.

“No, you shouldn’t be judged by your House,” said Fred with newly found voice and took her hand. “You’re just… intimidating.” A shrill of laughter rolled over Fred as Hermione found that ridiculous.

In the front of the store two witches Apparated and took in the scene. Ginny waved at George and shouted that she needed something from the store and ran with Carmen to the back.

“You shouldn’t be scared of me, I’m not evil like they say,” whispered Hermione and standing on tiptoes she kissed him. Ginny halted to a stop and Carmen crashed into her.

“What?! You bitch! Get the hell off of him!” yelled Ginny and draw a wand at Hermione. Fred sighed when he longer had a physical contact with her and turned grumpily to look the one who had disrupted his bliss.

“Whore!” screamed Ginny and shot her with a hex that split a row of glass jars on shelves.

“You killed Hagrid! Murderer!” yelled Carmen. Fred pushed Hermione behind his back and shoved her to a narrow aisle that leaded her around the high shelf to the other side. Hermione hurried into front and bumped in with George. She just gave him a handful of Galleons that was more that the price tag said and walked out of the store.

“What in Merlin’s name were you doing there, Miss Ariston?” demanded Professor Snape who was tapping his foot in the fresh snow outside the store.

“Shopping,” she told and presented the jar.

“Next time warn me if you plan to blow up the place,” grumbled Potion Master.